I have learned more from a children's novel than my entire university education.

The floor was covered
Clothes, shoes
Sheets
Layers of personality meant to impress
My makeup
Your meds

We lived in a room
With the world locked out
On a bed that smelled of
Trust and fear
Pain and love

Your chest was my pillow
And my arms were your sheets
Until the lights and noise faded away
And we saw by the shine in our own
Smiles and eyes

And when I couldn’t
Feel my heart or
Find the words
You made my body
Sing

We forced ourselves
Into ourselves
In hopes of finding something
We didn’t even know we’d lost

By the end the bed was stained
With our efforts
And our rewards
We couldn’t always tell them apart

We slept
Slick with sweat
But huddling close
To keep reality
From getting between our sheets

Stripped by Claire Parker